Tanker asset values continue to hold at exceptionally strong levels, with brokers reporting renewed momentum in the sale-and-purchase market as August approaches. Deals are emerging across the size spectrum, reflecting sustained demand for vessels of varying capacities. The elevated pricing environment comes amid a broader tightening of available tanker tonnage, as years of limited newbuilding orders and ongoing vessel scrapping have constrained fleet growth while global oil trade volumes have continued to support utilization.

Japan's Nisshin Shipping has reportedly sold the 19,900 dwt stainless steel chemical tanker Hongkong for $30 million. Built in 2017 at Usuki Zosensho, the vessel represents the first tanker sale of the year for Nisshin, one of Japan's largest shipowners with a fleet exceeding 100 vessels. Stainless steel chemical tankers command specialized pricing given the limited global pool of yards capable of constructing them and the complex cargo profiles they serve.

Activity is also accelerating in the larger segments. Belgian shipping group CMB.TECH continues to streamline its tanker fleet, with sources telling Splash that the 299,999 dwt VLCC Donoussa has been sold to undisclosed buyers for approximately $122.8 million. The 2016 DSME-built vessel's price aligns closely with its VesselsValue assessment. The deal marks CMB.TECH's ninth VLCC divestment this year. In February, the company sold another Korean-built VLCC of comparable age and size for $102.5 million, underscoring the sharp appreciation in tanker asset values over the intervening period. The roughly $20 million difference between the two transactions in under six months illustrates how quickly the secondary market has firmed, with buyers willing to pay near-valuation prices for modern, eco-efficient tonnage amid tightening regulatory requirements around emissions intensity.

In the vintage segment, Greek owner Velos Tankers is reportedly selling the 2008-built LR2 tanker Velos Emerald for $50 million. Multiple brokers highlighted the substantial return on the vessel, which was acquired from Mitsui OSK Lines approximately five years ago for roughly $17 million. The ship has been renamed Verald and is now associated with Chuan Bo Maritime, a Hong Kong-registered entity. The sale price exceeds the VesselsValue valuation for the Sasebo-built vessel by approximately $3.6 million. Transactions clearing valuation benchmarks by meaningful margins signal that buyers are pricing in continued earnings strength, particularly for vessels with remaining trading life before upcoming environmental compliance deadlines.

A further notable LR2 transaction has surfaced. Western Shipping has sold the 110,000 dwt LR2 tanker Ellie Lady to Trafigura for $48 million, according to market sources. The 2009 Sungdong-built, scrubber-fitted vessel has already been renamed Bom Dia. Major commodity trading houses acquiring owned tonnage reflects a strategic preference for greater logistical control over cargo movements, a trend that has intensified as charter market rates have fluctuated.

The week's most unusual transaction involves the 1,200 dwt small clean tanker Sin Phyong 9. Built in 1990 by Suzuki in Japan, the vessel was sold by Korea Myongryu Trading to fellow North Korean company Pomsan Shipping for an undisclosed sum, according to the VesselsValue sales register.

Source: Splash247